


oh, what a treat

by starkesthour



Category: K-pop, The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Bakery and Coffee Shop, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 18:49:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16143308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkesthour/pseuds/starkesthour
Summary: Younghoon lives for Tuesdays.





	oh, what a treat

Tuesday is Younghoon's favorite day of the week for two reasons:

1\. Chanhee always makes banoffee pie, his favorite.  
2\. The bike messenger comes in and delivers their order forms.

The second one shouldn't be that exciting, really, but as it is, Younghoon's had a mild crush on the bike messenger since he came in that first day with his boxy smile, and now Younghoon never fails to rush to the front when he hears the bell ring Tuesday mornings.

Today, he's already at the counter, serving a woman with shockingly pink hair, when the bell tinkles and the bike messenger walks in, helmet flattening black hair against his head. Younghoon beams at him as he hands the woman his coffee and muffin and lifts his hand in greeting.

"Hey," Younghoon says brightly.

"Hi," the bike messenger says. "Good morning."

"You have our order forms?" Younghoon asks, grinning as the bike messenger comes up to the counter.

"No," the bike messenger says. "I brought puppies though?"

"Well, we always need more puppies," Younghoon says, leaning forward onto his elbows. "What kind of puppies?"

"Cute ones," the bike messenger says. "Adorable, really."

"Are there any other kind?" Younghoon leans over and plucks a dark chocolate cookie from the glass case, wraps it in paper, and hands it over. "Do you really have puppies?"

The bike messenger takes the cookie gratefully and sighs. "Yes. One of my dogs gave birth last week."

"One of?" Younghoon asks, watching intently as he nibbles around the edge of the cookie.

"I have two. Well, now I have two dogs and about a thousand puppies." The bike messenger leans against the counter and flashes Younghoon a smile, complete with a lone dimple. Jesus. "Thanks for the cookie."

"Always," Younghoon says as the messenger pulls out a thick envelope and sets it on the counter. "Thanks for the order forms."

The messenger winks Younghoon another dimpled smile and says, "Always."

He turns to leave and Younghoon impulsively blurts out, "Wait!"

The messenger turns back. "Yeah?"

"You can put up flyers." Younghoon fidgets with his apron and hopes Chanhee doesn't yell at him for this. "You know, for the puppies."

"Really?" The messenger takes a half-step forward. "That'd be fine for you?"

"Yeah," Younghoon says, glancing back over his shoulder. Changmin is pretending not to listen as he fires up the coffee grinder. "Just bring them in and put them up wherever."

"Thanks!" The messenger grins. "I appreciate it. See you next week!"

"Okay," Younghoon says, waving, and he slumps against the counter as the messenger exits through the door again.

"One day," Changmin says, coming to stand next to him, "you should at least ask his name."

"Shh," says Younghoon, scowling at him. "When are you going to tell Chanhee you're in love with him?"

Changmin promptly turns red and says, "You're mean," and goes back to clean the spotless espresso machine.

*

When Younghoon comes into work on Friday, there are a variety of brightly colored sheets of paper with crisp looking calligraphy and doodles on them taped to the wall, advertising puppies. _Call Kevin_ , it says at the bottom above a row of rip-off numbers. Younghoon can't help but marvel at his genius, and he rips off a strip of paper, shoving it in his jeans pocket.

"His name is Kevin," he tells Chanhee, who is covered in flour and looking vaguely homicidal. "His name is Kevin and he loves dogs."

"Please make Juyeon stop ogling my cinnamon buns," Chanhee says.

"Is that some kind of euphemism?" Younghoon asks, confused.

Chanhee rolls his eyes and points. He follows the offending finger and sees Juyeon crouching in front of the display case. He _is_ ogling the cinnamon buns with a disturbing glint in his eyes, and Younghoon can see a couple of the other customers already eying him with worried expressions.

"What are you doing?" Younghoon asks, slipping on his apron and walking to stand behind him. "You're scaring the children."

"I don't know which bun I want," Juyeon sighs. "They all look so good."

"You don't get a choice," Younghoon says. "If you want a bun, you'll take whichever one I give you and eat it."

"Mean," Juyeon complains. "Fine. One bun and large americano."

Younghoon goes behind the counter and plucks out the shrunk bun, the one Chanhee always seems to just never get right amidst a perfect batch. He turns to pour Juyeon a cup of coffee. "Here you go."

"Thanks. What's up with the flyers everywhere?" Juyeon asks. He peeks inside the bag and gasps. "You tricked me!"

"Sorry," Younghoon says. "But you were scaring Chanhee."

"Ugh, fine." He bites into the cinnamon bun and hums appreciatively. "Oh, damn Chanhee, he makes my mouth water."

"I'll take that bun off you," Younghoon warns, shaking his finger. "Don't be gross."

"Yeah," Changmin pipes up from behind the register. "Don't be like that."

"You guys are no fun at all," sighs Juyeon.

"Changmin's scrappy, you wouldn't want to upset him." Younghoon says.

"I can defend myself, you know," Chanhee calls from the kitchen.

"Yes, but you're not here," Changmin shouts back.

Chanhee sticks his head out and scowls at Juyeon. "I can and will ban you if you continue to be a nuisance, Juyeon."

"I am a great customer, don't be ridiculous," Juyeon says. He pulls out a few crumpled bills and shoves it across the desk. "You love me."

"We love your seemingly endless amount of money," Younghoon says, counting out change for him. "Your money is always welcome."

"Yeah, yeah." Juyeon sips at his coffee and looks around. "Seriously, what's up with the puppy flyers?"

"Someone has puppies," Younghoon says, trying and failing not to blush.

"Ooh," Juyeon says, waggling his eyebrows. "Someone you like, hyung?"

"Shut up, no," Younghoon lies. "Go away, Juyeon."

"You're adorable," Juyeon says, reaching out to pinch Younghoon's cheeks. Younghoon ducks his head and sidles away to avoid him. "You should call him."

"Go away," Younghoon repeats, and he fiddles with the strip of paper with Kevin's number in his pocket. He knows he isn't going to call it, not in this lifetime anyway, but it's kind of reassuring to know it's right there.

He's on the closing shift that night, and closes up with Chanhee, who looks drained as always. Still, he takes the time to sit down across from Younghoon at one of the tables and hands him a plate of pecan pie before digging into his own slice.

"So," he says through a mouthful of crust. "Let's talk about Kevin."

"Let's not," Younghoon says, poking at his piece. "I don't even know him."

"You let him put pictures of his wrinkly dogs all over the bakery," Chanhee says. "Which I don't mind, believe me, but you didn't ask first? That's not like you." Chanhee points his fork at him with a certain finality. "You must really like him.

"He's cute," Younghoon allows. Gorgeous, to be honest. "He seems nice, too. But I don't know him at all."

"You should talk to him a little next time he's in here, then," Chanhee says. "So that I don't end up with dog flyers around all the time." He leans back in his seat, licking around the tines of his fork. "How did your audition go? Am I losing you to the glory of the spotlight?"

"Not yet," Younghoon says, suddenly morose. "And you won't lose me, I'll work here as long as you need me to."

Chanhee shakes his head. "Hyung, I know this isn't what you imagined would happen when you moved to the city. You hate this job –"

"I don't hate it," Younghoon protests, because he doesn't, he really does love working for Chanhee.

"Well, you don't _love_ it," Chanhee amends. "Not like I do, you know? I always liked feeding people and I love what I do. You, though, you love acting. I know, I've seen you do it. You're good at it. You can't pretend that this is what you want from your life."

Younghoon sighs and leans forward on his elbow. "It isn't as easy and accessible as you make it sound."

"I know," Chanhee says sympathetically. He pats the jut of Younghoon's elbow. "My point is, don't hold yourself back. If you have the chance to do what you love, do it. Just have a little patience. There'll always be a place for you here if you need it."

"Thanks," Younghoon says, and he takes another bite of pie. "We should do this more, you know. Pie and feelings."

Chanhee laughs and says, "If you want, hyung." He smiles at him and says, "Eat more pie."

*

The next time Kevin came in, Younghoon greets him by name and hands him a cup of coffee. "I didn't know what you liked," Younghoon says apologetically. "So I just made you my favorite kind."

"Thank you," Kevin says, taking it. "How'd you know my name?" He blows on the rim of the cup and gingerly takes a sip.

"You left it all around the bakery," Younghoon reminds him, pointing at one of the flyers. "It was hard not to notice."

"Oh. Right." Kevin looks down at his cup. "This is really great coffee. Energizing."

"I know," Younghoon says happily. "I'm Younghoon, by the way."

"I know," Kevin says, smiling. "You wear a nametag."

"Right." Younghoon shuffles his feet a little. "Would you like some _gyungdan_?"

"Sure." Kevin sips daintily as Younghoon digs into the chill of the display case. "Three of the puppies have been adopted, by the way, so really, thank you for letting me put up the flyers."

"Of course!" Younghoon smiles and slides the rice balls across the counter to Kevin. "All puppies deserve a home."

"Yes, they do," Kevin agrees. He pulls out the order forms from his bag and passes it over. "Thanks for the coffee. And the _gyungdan_. They're really good."

"Of course," Younghoon says. "It was nice to meet you properly, Kevin."

"Same here," Kevin says. He flashes Younghoon a small smile, then eels out the door, paper carefully cupped in hand. Younghoon leans against the counter and sighs dreamily.

"Whipped," Changmin hoots from the register.

"Shut it," Younghoon says, flapping his hand. "I'm having a moment."

Younghoon's good mood lasts him all the way until his audition the next day, which goes so poorly and so horribly when he clams up that he goes home and curls up on his bed without even saying hello to his roommate who's conducting some sort of bizarre experiment with jellybeans and Sprite. He watches a documentary on his computer – something about doping in sports – without really taking it in and then drags himself to the bakery for lack of anything better to do.

"Who pissed in your coffee?" Chanhee asks when he sees him. "Here." He holds out a caramel glazed cupcake. "Been experimenting with banoffee cupcakes."

Younghoon nibbles at it, subdued. "My audition went horribly, Chanhee. I feel like such a moron."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad, hyung," he says, leaning against the counter. Younghoon notices with some amusement that his bangs are secured with what looks like a paper clip. "Maybe you're just being paranoid. Overly critical of yourself, y'know."

"You're not helping." He eats some more of the base and looks around for Changmin. "Why are you working the register?"

Chanhee purses his lips and pokes at the register entry. "Changmin had a date," he says without meeting his eyes.

"Oh." Younghoon finishes the cupcake and says, "Um. This is really good. The bananas are fresh."

"I know you like the banoffee pie," he says, looking up. "So I thought I'd just try it."

"Reminds me of home. My dad used to make it for me when I had a bad day." Younghoon wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "Thanks."

"It's no problem." Chanhee looks around. "You want to work? I'll pay you overtime."

"Sure," Younghoon says, eager to take his mind off his disaster of an audition. "I'll grab my apron."

He works the counter while Chanhee retreats back to the kitchen and manages to mostly forget about his audition, focusing instead on keeping the display neat and serving the customers that drop by looking for afternoon snacks. He's tidying the cupcakes and turnovers when he hears a familiar voice from the door.

"— I already come here all the time," Kevin says, sounding flustered.

"But this place is amazing," someone says. Younghoon hurriedly straightens and sees Kevin standing with a smaller, dark-haired guy. "Hello, good sir, I'd like to buy some of your delicious lemon squares."

"Younghoon!" Kevin says, eyes widening.

"Hi," Younghoon says. He belatedly lifts his hand and waves a little. "Um, sorry, what was it you wanted?"

"Wait, you know each other?" The guy looks from Younghoon to Kevin. "Oh, is this the –"

" _Jacob_ ," Kevin hisses, blushing furiously. "He wanted some lemon squares."

"How many do you want?" Younghoon asks, picking up a piece of wax paper. "And for here or to go?"

"To go," Kevin says, just as Jacob says, "For here." They look at each other for a moment, and Jacob seems to have won their staredown because Kevin sighs in defeat and says, "We'll eat here."

"I have a cousin named Jacob," Younghoon says pointlessly, lifting a plate and putting a huge slice of lemon square on it. "But you already seem way better than him."

"Thanks," Jacob says, a bit confused but grinning. "Can I have three of those?"

Younghoon pulls out two more and stacks them on top of the first. "Kevin?"

"Whatever you think I'll like," Kevin says, still slightly pink.

Younghoon contemplates the display case for a moment, then pulls out a cupcake with bright yellow frosting. "How about this?"

"Oh," Kevin says, recoiling slightly. "That looks – really sweet."

Younghoon grins. "It's pink lemonade flavored. I swear it isn't as sickly sweet as it looks."

"All right," Kevin says. "What should I drink with it?"

"Definitely tea." Younghoon turns to pour a cup of hot water. "What would you like, Jacob-ssi?"

"Coffee."

Younghoon pours a cup of coffee and turns to slide it across the counter. He opens up a tea bag, puts it in Kevin's cup, and says, "That'll be twenty-thousand."

The two of them scrounge up cash and put it on the tray. Younghoon takes it and asks, "Can I sit with you? It's pretty dead here."

"Sure," Jacob says, grinning. "Kevin talks about you –"

"Shut up, please," Kevin says with a groan. He snatches his tea and cupcake and stalks to a table by the window.

"He's so sensitive sometimes," Jacob says, rolling his eyes. He picks up his plate of lemon squares and his coffee, then follows Kevin to the table. Younghoon comes out from behind the counter and joins them, sitting a careful six inches to Kevin's right.

"I'm not sensitive," Kevin says to Jacob, voice low. "I just don't appreciate you –"

"I know, I know," Jacob says, patting Kevin's arm. "So, Younghoon, right? What do you do aside from work here?"

"I'm an actor. Or, well, trying to be," Younghoon says. "I don't suppose either of you know of any productions looking for a skinny city boy, do you?"

"I don't," Jacob says. "But Kevin, don't you deliver stuff to a bunch of theatres?"

"Yeah. I – I can ask around," Kevin says, stirring his tea and not looking at Younghoon. "I think there might be one or two things around."

"Thanks," Younghoon says. He nudges Kevin's foot under the table and smiles when Kevin looks up. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Kevin says, blinking at Younghoon, a little dazed.

"I don't suppose you want to be a bicycle messenger your whole life," Younghoon says. "What's your secret ambition, then?"

"Don't have one," Kevin very clearly lies, going pink again.

"Come on," Younghoon says encouragingly. "I told you mine."

Jacob noisily sips at his coffee. "Go on, Kevin," he says. "Tell him."

"I don't know why I'm friends with you," Kevin mutters. He looks sideways at Younghoon and says, "I – write."

"Oh, yeah?" Younghoon asks eagerly. "Books?"

"Yeah, and plays." Kevin shrugs. "Not that they're any good."

"Yet one of his plays is being produced right now," says Jacob, ignoring Kevin's glare. "Wait, aren't they casting right now?"

"Yeah," Kevin says. "I, uh, if you're interested, I can give you the number of the producer."

"Sure," Younghoon says. "I'll try out for anything."

"Hold on a minute," Kevin says, fumbling in his jacket pocket. He pulls out a small notebook and a pen. He scribbles a number down, then rips the paper out and slips it over to Younghoon. "Good luck."

"In theatre, we usually say break a leg," Younghoon says primly.

"Then break a leg," Kevin says. "Although that sounds sort of terrible."

"It does, doesn't it?" Younghoon smiles down at the number and says, "Thank you. Do you want me to call you if I get the part?"

"Um, do you have my number?" Kevin asks, frowning. "I mean, I'm sure I'll hear from Jaehyun, but – you don't have to call me, is all."

"I mean, we're friends, right?" Younghoon asks, nudging Kevin's elbow.

"You didn't even know my name until last week," Kevin says wryly, but he bends over the piece of paper and adds his number beneath it. "In case you need it."

"Thanks!" Younghoon rubs the paper between his fingers and decides not to mention that he already has Kevin's number stashed away under his favorite mouse. "I'll, uh, use it wisely."

"This is really adorable," Jacob says, polishing off his last lemon square and licking his fingers, "but we should probably be going, right?"

Kevin glances at the watch at his wrist and hisses under his breath. Younghoon catches _Hyunjoon_ and _pick up_ and not much else. "Yeah, okay." He flashes a bright smile at Younghoon. "Break a leg?"

Younghoon sits back in his chair and watches as Jacob and Kevin leave, smiling to himself. He looks down at the slip of paper, then puts it in his pocket for later.

*

Younghoon keeps it there, letting it earn creases and lint for a week, too afraid to message or call the number. He transfers it between pockets, tapping it against his leg absently whenever he's bored or nervous. Finally, on Monday night, he pulls the paper out and unfolds it on his lap before grabbing his phone.

The producer picks up on the second ring and says, "Hello, Lee Jaehyun."

"Hi," Younghoon says in a rush. "I was given your number by Kevin-ssi?"

"Kevin?" Jaehyun asks. "Sure. What is it that he told you to call me about?"

"I'm an actor and he said you're still casting?" Younghoon says. "Oh god, this is totally inappropriate, isn't it."

"Not at all," Jaehyun says, sounding amused now. "If Kevin gave you my number, he must like you, and he's kinda hard to impress."

"Oh, I don't know if he likes me," Younghoon says nervously.

"Well, you should come in for an audition anyway," Jaehyun says. "I can have Kevin give you part of the script tomorrow."

"It's – okay," Younghoon says. "Okay. Yeah, that's – yeah."

"When are you available to come in for audition and a test read?" Jaehyun asks. "Wednesday any good?"

"Yeah," Younghoon says, voice shaking a little. "Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I'm – I'm free, I can come in."

"Okay." Jaehyun rattles off an address, which Younghoon hurriedly scrambles to write down. "1 p.m.'s convenient?"

"That's perfect," Younghoon says. "That's great. I'll see you then. Thank you so much."

"Looking forward to it," Jaehyun says cheerfully, and he hangs up. Younghoon sets the phone down and falls back against his bed. In the neighboring room, Sunwoo shouts something that sounds like, " _Eureka_!" and Younghoon grins to himself.

He goes into work on Tuesday feeling good, if slightly nervous, and whistles a tune while he starts up the brew. Chanhee leans against the door to the kitchen and arches his eyebrows at him. "You're perky."

"I feel good," Younghoon says cheerfully. "Today's a good day."

"I'm glad," Chanhee says. He pats his arm and slips back into the kitchen as Changmin comes in, tying his apron around his neck.

"Hey, you," Changmin says, nodding. "What's up?"

"Did you really have a date last week?" Younghoon asks, dusting off the counter. "Chanhee didn't seem happy about it."

Changmin makes a face. "I did have a date, but it was terrible." He sighs and slumps against the counter. "Was he really mad?"

"I don't know if he was mad," Younghoon hedges in a quiet voice, "but he definitely wasn't pleased."

"But I can't just ask him out," Changmin whines. "He's our boss, you know. That would be weird."

"Yes you can," Younghoon says firmly. "Look at me, I got Kevin's number!"

"It's been all around the bakery for two weeks," Changmin points out. "That's not really an accomplishment."

"But I got _him_ to give me his number," Younghoon says. "There's a difference."

Changmin rolls his eyes and shifts away from Younghoon as the first of the early morning customers start trickling in. "Sure, whatever."

Kevin arrives at his usual time, looking harried. "Jaehyun said he called you," he says, something urgent in his tone. "I brought you the script." He ducks his head. "Please don't um. Judge me for it. I know it's terrible."

"I'm sure it's great." Younghoon holds out his hands. "Gimme."

"Say please?" Kevin says, digging his backpack.

"Please, Kevin," Younghoon says. He smiles winningly. "You can have your choice of free pastries."

"Here you go," Kevin says. He hands Younghoon a thick manila envelope and sets the order forms down on the counter. "If reading it makes you change your mind –"

"I don't think you understand how badly I want a part," Younghoon says wryly. He picks out a particularly tasty-looking danish and wraps it up for Kevin. "Here."

"Thank you," says Kevin quietly. "I'm – it isn't that I don't want you to be in my play, I just – it's weird, letting people see my work."

Younghoon reaches out and touches the back of Kevin's wrist lightly. "I get it. It's fine. I just, I want to have a part."

"Okay," Kevin says, staring at Younghoon's hand. "Right. I'll, uh, talk to you later?"

"Yeah," Younghoon says. "Thanks for everything. And uh, you can call me hyung. You know, if you want."

Kevin smiles slightly and says, "No problem, hyung."

*

Younghoon spends most of his downtime at work reading the script and getting a feel for the part that Kevin had indicated at the top of the script. It's a good role, takes a chunk of stage time too – a nervous, anxious young man who's inspired to commit acts of kindness after nearly dying. He makes Changmin run lines with him when the bakery goes dead around two, students and stragglers already gone, and even Chanhee comes out to help out.

"You're good," Changmin says when they finish. "Like, really, really good."

Younghoon ducks his head, embarrassed. "Thank you."

"Go home," Chanhee says abruptly. "Changmin and I can handle it for the rest of tonight. You should rehearse and get a good night's rest, okay?"

"I can still work," Younghoon protests.

"No," Chanhee says firmly. "Go home, hyung, we can take care of it. You need the rest of the day off."

"Thanks," Younghoon says with a sigh. "You can call me if you need me."

"We won't." Chanhee leans down and pats the top of his head lightly. "Break a leg tomorrow, okay?"

*

Younghoon throws up twice the next morning, and he rinses his mouth out with shaking hands. He's never been more nervous for an audition; he feels an odd sense of responsibility to Kevin, even though he's sure Kevin won't even _be_ there. He brushes his teeth to clear the lingering taste of bile from his mouth, then grabs his hat and jacket to catch the train downtown.

Jaehyun greets him with a strong grip and a bright, white smile. His hair looks silky under the bright lights and he has the same aura of intimidating surety that he has found in all stage managers and directors.

"Younghoon, thanks for coming," he says, walking with him towards the stage, past a small group of other people. "You've read the script?"

"Yes," Younghoon says. "Kevin highlighted lines for me, I hope that's what I was meant to come in for."

"I think that'll be a good fit," Jaehyun says. "Why don't you give me the monologue from Act Two and we'll start there?"

Younghoon finds the spot he means and asks, "Should I go up on stage?"

"Yeah, sure." Jaehyun settles down and looks at him expectantly. Younghoon takes a deep breath, mounts stage right, and hits the mark in the middle.

He delivers the monologue without much preamble, and he only glances at the script twice.

" _I won't be back again_ ," he finishes, pacing the stage. " _That's not why I came. I don't want to be recognized. Forget I came, please_." He steps back carefully, hunching his shoulders and burying himself under the weight of Yeonwoo's insecurities. " _I wish you every happiness_."

He closes his eyes when he's finished, then opens them when he hears the sound of clapping. He squints into the harsh light, lifting a hand to shade his eyes, and asks, "Was that all right?"

"That was great," comes Jaehyun's voice. "Come down here, let me talk to you."

Younghoon hurries down the stairs, clutching the script to his chest. He skids to a halt in front of Jaehyun and shifts nervously until he gestures for him to sit. He folds his hands on his lap and looks at him, trying not to show how wracked he is.

Jaehyun smiles. "Relax," he says. "You did amazingly. Would you mind coming in later this week to read with some of the other actors, just so we can see how you might fit?"

"Alright," Younghoon says. "Really?"

"Really," Jaehyun says. "I can see why Kevin sent you to me."

"Oh my god," Younghoon breathes, relief a cool balm as he curls in on himself. "Oh god, thank you, thank you so much."

Jaehyun pats his shoulder gingerly. "You're good, Younghoon. Emotive, but controlled. You'll do great. Don't worry so much."

Younghoon takes a deep breath. "Thank you. Thanks so much, I can come in whenever you want."

The first place he goes is the bakery, where Seungwan is on shift, short hair pulled into pigtails. He sweeps her into his arms and kisses her noisily on the cheek, ignoring her protesting squawk, and asks, "Can I see Chanhee?"

"What are you even doing here?" asks Seungwan, dusting herself off fussily. "I thought you stopped working Wednesdays."

"I did, I did," Younghoon says. "I just need to talk to Chanhee."

"Hyung," Chanhee says, poking his head out of the storage room. "What happened?"

"I have a callback!" he says. "And I think I have the part!"

"Oh my god!" Chanhee says, and he barrels out of the room to hug him tightly. "Come on, noona, give Younghoon a hug, go on," he adds, and Seungwan wraps her arms around them both, snorting.

"Thank you for helping me," Younghoon says to Chanhee later when they're picking on a celebratory cake Chanhee and Seungwan whipped up last minute. "I mean, it's just one part, it isn't anything significant in the scheme of things, but it's nice to have...something."

"Mm. Did I ever tell you how I ended up with this place?" Chanhee asks, gesturing around the bakery. "I dropped out of college after one semester and started working at a bakery in midtown. I worked there for a year before they moved me up from just doing croissants and loaves. I learned everything I could from them and then tried opening one of my own. It took two failed attempts before one took off." He shrugs. "Everything – it all helps, hyung."

"You're trying to teach me a lesson," Younghoon says accusingly, pointing at him with his fork. "You realize I'm older than you, right?"

"And yet, my life is more together than yours." Chanhee pats his hand. "I'm just saying, hyung. You're usually pretty optimistic, so why aren't you hopeful about this?"

"It feels like I'll jinx it," Younghoon admits. "I really like this script."

"You mean the playwright," Chanhee says with a teasing smile.

"That too," Younghoon says. "I mean, he wrote this himself. And it's so well-written! Probably personal. What if I mess it up?"

Chanhee rolls his eyes and says, "Younghoon, you really should go over that script again."

He frowns at this, but doesn't get a chance to ask what Chanhee means because Changmin clocks in for his shift, humming, and quickly announces, "Chanhee, I want to go on a date with you."

Chanhee and Younghoon exchange looks. "Um," Chanhee says.

Younghoon kicks him under the table and says, "It all helps, right?"

"You're mean," he sighs. Chanhee turns and looks up at Changmin. "Okay, sure. Let's go."

Changmin blurts out, "Really? I just thought – I figured I'd try, but I'd never –" He shakes his head. "Nice. Excellent."

Chanhee extends his hand to Changmin then, sickeningly sweet, and Younghoon quietly slips out of his seat to leave them alone. He takes the cake with him.

*

He goes in to read with the rest of the cast on Friday and, by the end of it, has calmed down enough to agree to go to lunch with Jaehyun. "I think you're a perfect addition," he tells him as they walk to a nearby cafe. "You seem to understand the character and you're jiving well with the others. And Kevin likes you –"

"He doesn't," Younghoon corrects. "We don't even really know each other much."

"Hm. If you say so." Jaehyun opens the door for him. "So. Let's talk hours?"

It isn't until Younghoon gets home that it sinks in – he finally _has a part_ an official production – and he has to lie down on the couch at the thought. Sunwoo, who is wearing a pair of tinted round glasses and a baseball cap, leans over him and says, "Younghoon-hyung? You all right? You look...dazed."

Younghoon turns his head to take in Sunwoo's bright red and white track suit. "I'm fine, Sunwoo," he says. "What on earth are you wearing, though?"

"Forgot to do my laundry," Sunwoo says. "Did your thing today go well?"

"I have a part," Younghoon says. "The lead, sort of."

"Sort of?" Sunwoo pokes him in the shoulder. "What does that even mean?"

"Okay, I'm the lead," Younghoon says. "Just trying not to jinx it."

"That's brilliant, hyung!" Sunwoo says, grabbing his hand and shaking it about awkwardly. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," Younghoon says. "I kind of feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Just don't get it on the sofa." Sunwoo scoots away. "You should probably tell your mother at some point, you know."

"Oh, that's a good idea," Younghoon says, and sits up to go dial his mom.

*

He tells Chanhee about the part when he goes in for his shift on Tuesday. They hug for a long while and Chanhee says, "Remember, take off all the time you want."

Younghoon smiles at him, then goes to help Changmin with a pretty complicated order. He hears the bell jingle, and he turns to see Kevin coming in, hair damp from the light rain. _So cute_.

Younghoon waves energetically and says, "Hey! Guess what?"

"Our country's in a financial crisis?" asks Kevin, rummaging in his bag.

"I got the part in your play," he says, snorting. "Thank you so much for that, it's an amazing script."

"Oh," Kevin says, looking up suddenly, a deer caught in the headlights. "You've. You've read it, then?"

"Of course I've read it," Younghoon says. "I'm playing Yeonwoo!"

"Really?" Kevin asks. "Yeonwoo?"

Younghoon frowns. "That was the part written at the top of the script you gave me."

"That's because it was my script," Kevin says. "I mean – it's. It's fine, I'm sure you're great."

"Kevin, if you don't want me to do it, I can tell Jaehyun –" Younghoon starts, though by the way his voice sounds choked in his ears, he's not entirely sure he's telling the truth.

"No," Kevin says. "No, it's fine. I'll – you liked the script? The story? There wasn't anything you thought was strange?"

"I thought it was really good," Younghoon assures him, suddenly relieved. "Everyone can use a bit of Yeonwoo in themselves. Why? Are you worried about it? You don't need to be."

"Thanks for that," Kevin mutters. "Here are the order forms you guys need. I guess I'll – see you around?"

"Yes," Younghoon says, frowning at him. "Kevin –"

"I'll see you later," Kevin says, and he flees out of the bakery before Younghoon has a chance to give him a pastry and ask him what's wrong.

Younghoon is able to mostly forget about Kevin's strange behavior until he's at rehearsal and one of his co-actors is reading the part of Sunghee, the girl Yeonwoo is in love with. Hara, who normally speaks Jeolla dialect, has switched to a brusque but drawling satoori that bears a striking resemblance to Younghoon's own. He stares at her, then back at the script, where it does indeed say that Sunghee is from Incheon.

"Younghoon, does that sound all right?" Hara asks. "You're frowning, am I doing it wrong? Kevin said it was like that."

"Yeah," Younghoon says after a moment. "That sounds fine, noona." He bends over the script and starts flipping through it, putting little pencil marks next to things he remembers saying to Kevin, details that Younghoon recognizes from their brief conversations. It feels insanely narcissistic, insanely _insane_ to even think that Kevin might have based Sunghee on Younghoon, but when he sets the script down, the piled evidence is just overwhelming.

"Jesus," he mutters, wondering if that's why Chanhee had laughed at him and why Jaehyun kept insisting that Kevin _liked_ him.

When he heads back to his apartment, he digs the old slip of paper with Kevin's number on it out from his laundry and spends fifteen minutes freaking out before finally sucking it up and dialing the number. He's not sure what he wants to say to Kevin; he thinks it a fairly positive sign that Kevin based a character on him, _wrote_ about him, but he's honestly not entirely confident that he's not just reading into things and enforcing them in reality.

Kevin picks up on the second ring with a cautious, "Hello?"

"Hi, um, this is Younghoon," Younghoon says, losing his nerve. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Kevin says slowly. "I, um. Why are you calling me? Hyung?"

"Oh, I just noticed in the script that –" Younghoon pauses, then blurts out, "Did you base Sunghee on me?"

He immediately regrets it; he hadn't meant to ask it so bluntly. There's silence on the other end and Younghoon says, "I'm sorry, I didn't – I just, it seems like –"

"Oh god," Kevin says. "I really don't want to – I can't talk about this, this is probably the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me."

"Oh no, Kevin, wait," Younghoon starts, but the line goes dead before he's able to finish his sentence. Younghoon sighs and flops down on his bed, feeling stupid. He shouldn't have pushed, he knew that – but he had to know. If Kevin liked him, even a little bit –

"Hyung," Sunwoo says, poking his head into the room. "I couldn't help but overhear – you seem to be having relationship troubles."

Younghoon narrows his eyes at Sunwoo and says, "You're wearing a fedora."

Sunwoo nods, making the hat shift a little. "I am. Come, talk to me about your woes."

Younghoon tilts his head to the side and considers Sunwoo for a moment. For all his oddities, Sunwoo is one of his best friends and he has the benefit of being a completely neutral party. He pats the bed next to him and says, "Ready when you are."

Sunwoo plops down next to him and kicks out his cowboy-booted feet. "Proceed," he says magnanimously.

So Younghoon pours out the whole story to him and Sunwoo listens attentively right through to the end. "Well," he says when Younghoon finishes. "It sounds to me like you need to talk to him in person."

"But I don't know how I'd –" Younghoon stops. "Wait. He always comes on Tuesdays."

"Precisely," Sunwoo says. "You should go on Tuesday and talk to him. And possibly apologize for being impolite."

"Ugh, I know," sighs Younghoon. "I'm the worst, aren't I? I should have just asked him if he wanted to go out, right?"

"Probably, but at least there's no room for doubt that he's interested," Sunwoo says cheerfully, swinging his legs off the bed. "Buck up, hyung. You've got a playwright to charm."

"I do, don't I?" Younghoon asks enthusiastically, and he races to his closet to go pick out his battle clothes.

*

He isn't able to sleep much Monday night, stomach twisting into tight knots as he stares at his ceiling, thinking of all the possible ways his conversation with Kevin could go wrong. He ends up oversleeping and has to hop into his jeans and shirt before taking the first train that comes to his station. He skids into the bakery a little after nine and runs to the counter where Seungwan is working, short hair pulled into pigtails again.

"Younghoon!" she says, startled. "I didn't know you were working today."

"I'm not," Younghoon says breathlessly. "Hi. Has Kevin – the bike messenger – come by yet?"

"No," Seungwan says slowly. "Younghoon, are you okay?"

"Yes. Well, not really, but I will be soon," Younghoon says. He sinks back against the marble. "Can I have water or something, please?"

"Sure." Seungwan reaches over to get a cup of water from the dispenser behind her and then passes it to Younghoon. He chugs it gratefully and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Where's Changmin?" he asks, looking around. "Did their date go badly? Did he have to quit or something?"

Seungwan gives a tiny smile. "Not exactly." She leans across the counter, mouth quirking into a smirk. "Their date went so well that he's still in bed upstairs. Chanhee dragged himself down, but he looks pretty –"

"Noona, I can hear you!" Chanhee calls from the kitchen, and Seungwan ducks her head as she dissolves into giggles. Younghoon smiles, then hears the tinkling sound of a bell from behind him.

He whirls around just as Kevin walks through the door, his helmeted head bowed as he rifles through his bag. "Hey, I have the –" He looks up and catches sight of Younghoon. "Oh."

"Hi," Younghoon says. "I, um. I didn't mean to –"

"Oh god," Kevin says, face twisting. "Are you going to – you shouldn't apologize, I'm the one who's creepy and awful –"

"You're not creepy at all!" Younghoon says emphatically. "You're not, I promise. I was flattered."

"Really?" Kevin asks shyly. "I – I hoped you wouldn't notice." He shakes his head. "Kind of a dumb plan, right?"

"I probably wouldn't have if Hara wasn't doing an accent that sounds like mine," Younghoon says. He smiles and steps forward. "Does this mean, um. That you like me?"

"Will you buy it if I say no and we can stay friends slash people who interact sometimes?" Kevin asks hopefully.

"No," Younghoon says, grinning. "Kevin, I would like very much to take you on a date. If that's all right with you."

"If you're sure," Kevin says, coming closer. "I, uh. Yes. I would like that."

Younghoon reaches out and finally takes one of Kevin's hands. He's grinning so hard that his cheeks hurt and he can't even care that they're attracting stares from the people sitting around the bakery. "Good," he says, squeezing Kevin's fingers gently. "I'll call you."

"You have my number," Kevin says, looking up through his lashes.

"I do," Younghoon agrees, tilting forward a little.

"Sooooooo," Seungwan says, drawing out the word. "You going to give me those order forms or what?"

Kevin goes pink and says, "Right, yeah," and hurriedly goes back to digging through his bag. He produces the familiar manila envelope and goes to give it to Seungwan. He looks back at Younghoon. "I have to leave," he says regretfully. "But –" He darts forward and presses a quick, chaste kiss to the corner of Younghoon's mouth. "Looking forward to that call?"

Younghoon touches the side of his mouth, movement syrupy slow. He's pretty sure he's smiling like a dope. "Yeah, me too," he says, and he grins as Kevin turns to leave, waving when Kevin glances back over his shoulder.

He turns back to smile at Seungwan and says, "One of those pink lemonade cupcakes to go, please, noona. I have a date to plan."

Seungwan chuckles and picks out a cupcake for him. "Good luck."

"Thanks!" Younghoon says. He takes it, hands over his money, and smiles. Tuesdays are definitely his favorite day of the week.

**Author's Note:**

> oof i love bbangmoon but this was so awful and rushed, i'm so sorry


End file.
